(1883-1964)
Born Frederick James Marquis in Manchester in 1883, Lord Woolton
became a celebrated British businessman, politician and government
minister. He attended the Ardwick Higher Grade School and was
later educated at the University of Manchester, where for a
time he held a research fellowship in economics. For a time
he was a teacher at his old school and later became Chancellor
of the University at Manchester.
Before the
First World War he was a social worker, being one of the founders
of the Liverpool University Settlement, of which he was the
first warden.
He had been
awarded a peerage in 1939 for his contribution to British industry
in which he had been a successfully running the John Lewis group
of retail stores. Also, by 1939 he was acting as an adviser
to the Secretary of State for War and also at the Ministry of
Supply with Ellen Wilkinson,
whom he had at one time taught at Ardwick, and whom he had inspired
to go into politics.
In April
1940 Prime Minister Chamberlain appointed him Minister of Food.
He was a charismatic man with great business acumen, which ensured
that the Dig for Victory campaign succeeded and the British
public did not starve during or after the war. Lord Woolton,
the Minister of Food, urged people to be creative in their cooking
with rationed food, to use more vegetables, particularly potatoes.
He even had a recipe named after him, the celebrated "Lord
Woolton Pie".
Later Winston
Churchill appointed Woolton as Minister of Reconstruction in
November 1943. As a result of his role in the planning for post-war
Britain he appeared on the cover of "Time Magazine"
on 26 March 1945. In that year he was also appointed as Chairman
of the Conservative Party, carrying out many sweeping reforms.
He also served in the Tory Cabinet from 1951-1955.
In 1953-54
he was President of the Association of Lancastrians in London.
After the war he was created Viscount and later Earl of Woolton
and went back into industry as chairman of John Lewis Stores.
On his death
in 1964 many outstanding eulogies were paid to him and his work
in both Houses of Parliament
